Toilet flange

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure generally provides embodiments for a toilet flange. In an embodiment, the toilet flange includes a body having a toilet-facing surface, a drain-facing surface, and a drain opening therethrough and at least two chambers extending from the toilet-facing surface only partially into the body, each chamber having a fastener passageway for receiving a portion of a first fastener for coupling the body to a toilet base, wherein the drain-facing surface is of substantially planar orientation and configured to be adhered to a fixed surface, and wherein the body further includes a drain pipe-facing surface configured to be adhered to a drain pipe.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates generally to toilet installation hardware andmore specifically to toilet flanges configured to prevent water damageto the sub-floor.

BACKGROUND

The installation of a toilet requires the use of a toilet flange toconnect the base of the toilet to a drain and the sub-floor. The toiletflange is generally installed by attaching the flange to the sub-floor.If a leak developed, any fluid would escape from the surface of theflange and come into contact with the sub-floor causing damage.

Traditionally, an installer would grind or cut the tiles such that thetiles would be adjacent to the flange. The installer would then proceedto use adhesives to affix the tile to the sub-floor and use grout toseal the gaps between the tiles. The installer would then be forced torely solely on the combination of adhesives and grout to prevent waterdamage to the sub-floor should a leak occur.

SUMMARY

A first embodiment of the invention provides a toilet flange thatincludes a body having a toilet-facing surface, a drain-facing surface,and a drain opening therethrough and at least two chambers extendingfrom the toilet-facing surface only partially into the body, eachchamber having a fastener passageway for receiving a portion of a firstfastener for coupling the body to a toilet base, wherein thedrain-facing surface is of substantially planar orientation andconfigured to be adhered to a fixed surface, and wherein the bodyfurther includes a drain pipe-facing surface configured to be adhered toa drain pipe.

A second embodiment of the invention provides a toilet flange thatincludes a body having a toilet-facing surface, a drain-facing surface,and a drain opening therethrough and a dam feature configured to preventa fluid from escaping radially from a periphery of the toilet-facingsurface, wherein the drain-facing surface is of substantially planarorientation and configured to be adhered to a fixed surface, and whereinthe body further includes a drain pipe-facing surface configured to beadhered to a drain pipe.

A third embodiment of the invention provides a toilet flange thatincludes a body having a toilet-facing surface and a drain-facingsurface and a drain opening extending through the body, wherein at leasta portion of the toilet-facing surface is slanted toward the drainopening.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features of this invention will be more readilyunderstood from the following detailed description of the variousaspects of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings that depict various embodiments, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a plan view of an embodiment of the toilet flange.

FIG. 2 shows a plan view of an alternative embodiment of the toiletflange.

FIG. 3 shows a plan view of an alternative embodiment of the toiletflange.

FIG. 4 shows a side view of an embodiment of the toilet flange.

FIG. 5 shows a side view of an alternative embodiment of the toiletflange.

FIG. 6 shows a plan view of another embodiment of the toilet flange.

FIG. 7 shows a three-dimensional cross-sectional view of a portion ofthe embodiment shown in FIG. 6 taken along line A-A according to anembodiment of the toilet flange.

FIG. 8. shows a three-dimensional cross-sectional view of an alternativeembodiment to that which is shown in FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 shows a plan view of an embodiment of the toilet flange.

FIG. 10 shows a plan view of an embodiment of the toilet flange.

It is noted that the drawings of the invention are not to scale. Thedrawings are intended to depict only typical aspects of the invention,and therefore should not be considered as limiting the scope of theinvention. In the drawings, like numbering represents like elementsbetween the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, reference is made to the accompanyingdrawings that form a part thereof, and in which is shown by way ofillustration specific exemplary embodiments in which the presentteachings may be practiced. These embodiments are described insufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice thepresent teachings, and it is to be understood that other embodiments maybe used and that changes may be made without departing from the scope ofthe present teachings. The following description is, therefore, merelyillustrative.

Disclosed herein are various embodiments for a toilet flange. Thecurrent disclosure is directed to the mounting surface of a toiletflange and improvements thereof. As one of ordinary skill in the artwill appreciate, any standard drain connection design is easily adaptedto the toilet flange disclosed herein. Therefore, the specifics of thedrain connection are omitted herein for brevity.

Referring to FIG. 1, a toilet flange 100 includes a body 102 having atoilet-facing surface 104, a drain-facing surface (not shown in FIG. 1),a drain opening 106 therethrough. Drain opening 106 may be configured tobe fluidly connected with a drain pipe and may be defined by anopening-facing surface 806 b (FIGS. 9-10). Additionally, toilet flange100 may include a chamber 108 extending from toilet-facing surface 104only partially into body 102. Chamber 108 may have a fastener passageway110 for receiving a portion of a fastener (not shown) for coupling body102 to a toilet base (not shown). In one embodiment, body 102 may haveat least two chambers 108. However, it is to be understood that toiletflange 100 may have any number of chambers 108 without departing fromembodiments of the invention. Body 102 may be manufactured from athermoplastic including, but not limited to, acrylonitrile butadienestyrene (ABS) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Alternatively, body 102 maybe manufactured from a metal.

Still referring to FIG. 1, fastener passageway 110 may include areceiving end 112 that is wider than the fastener and a retaining end114 that is narrower than the portion of the fastener located withinchamber 108. Upon inserting the fastener into receiving end 112, thetoilet base may be moved such that the fastener is moved from receivingend 112 to retaining end 114. Once the fastener is positioned atretaining end 114, movement of the fastener out of fastener passageway110 may be restrained. That is, the fastener is restrained by virtue ofretaining end 114 being narrower than the portion of fastener locatedwithin chamber 108. The fastener may include a bolt wherein the head ofthe bolt is located within chamber 108, a bolt having a nut positionedon the portion of the fastener located within chamber 108, or anysimilar fastening device where the portion within chamber 108 is widerthan retaining end 114.

Still referring to FIG. 1, body 102 may include a dam feature 116configured to prevent a fluid (not shown) from escaping radially fromthe periphery of toilet-facing surface 104. Dam feature 116 may includea raised edge formed on toilet-facing surface 104. Alternatively, damfeature 116 may include a gasket or other object placed or affixed totoilet-facing surface 104 in a manner that prevents the fluid fromescaping radially from the periphery of toilet facing surface 104. Damfeature 116 may be positioned on a perimeter of body 102. The perimeterof body 102 may comprise any shape including a poly-sided shape.

Still referring to FIG. 1, body 102 may include a plurality of mountingapertures 118 extending through body 102 and configured to receive afastener (not shown) for attaching body 102 to a fixed surface, e.g., asub-floor (not shown). Mounting apertures 118 may be countersunk 120. Inan alternative embodiment, mounting apertures 118 are replaced withsealed mounting apertures 218 as shown in FIG. 2. Sealed mountingapertures 218 may be closed or sealed at the drain-facing surface ofbody 102 (or a surface opposite of toilet-facing surface 104), e.g.,with a thin layer of plastic that is integral with the rest of body 102.The layer may be configured to break via insertion of the fastener (notshown) to provide a seal around the fastener. The layer may include, forexample, a polymer such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyolefin,polyurethane, ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), polyethylene vinyl acetate(PEVA), polyvinyl acetate (PVA), and polyvinyl butyral (PVB). Mountingapertures 118, 218 may be located at the perimeter of body 102. Whilefour mounting apertures 118, 218 have been shown, it is to be understoodthat any number of mounting apertures 118, 218 can be included withoutdeparting from aspects of the disclosure. Mounting apertures 118, 218may be surrounded by retaining walls 122 which may be connected to damfeature 116 on opposite sides of mounting apertures 118. Retaining walls122 may include a raised edge formed on toilet-facing surface 104.Retaining walls 122 may be configured to prevent the fluid from enteringa respective mounting aperture 118, 218. Retaining walls 122 may beraised from toilet-facing surface 104 at least 75% as high as damfeature 116. In some embodiments, retaining walls 122 may be raised fromtoilet-facing surface 104 just as high as dam features 116 such thatretaining walls 122 are substantially flush with dam feature 116. Moreparticularly, in one embodiment, retaining walls 122 may fully orpartially enclose mounting aperture 118. Dam feature 116 and retainingwalls 122 may be configured to prevent the fluid from radially escapingthe periphery of toilet-facing surface 104 and from entering mountingaperture 118.

Referring also to FIG. 3, body 102 may include removable area 300. Forexample, removable area 300 may include a groove 302 extending from afirst point 304 to a second point 306. Groove 302 being a location ofstress concentration in body 102 such that when a predetermined force isapplied, removable area 300 is removed from body 102. As would beappreciated by one having ordinary skill in the art, removable area 300may be configured to be removed using alternative means, including, notlimited to, snap fits or interference fits. In any case, dam feature 116may extend from first point 304 to second point 306, but may not belocated on removable area 300.

Referring also to FIG. 4, body 102 may include a slanted toilet-facingsurface 400. Slanted toilet-facing surface 400 may have an angle 402greater than 0 degrees and less than approximately 2 degrees.Alternatively, angle 402 may be approximately 2 degrees. A portion ofthe slanted toilet-facing surface 400 may be slanted toward drainopening 106. A highest portion 304 of slanted toilet-facing surface 400may be substantially adjacent to dam feature 116. As such herein,“substantially” refers to largely, for the most part, entirely specifiedor any slight deviation which provides the same technical benefits ofthe invention.

Referring also to FIG. 5, chamber 108 may extend only partially throughbody 102. Fastener passageway 110 may be positioned above a bottom 500of chamber 108. An embodiment of fastener passageway 110 may have apassageway width 502 that is narrower than chamber width 504. Thedifference in width facilitates the retaining of the fastener withinfastener passageway 110. By way of non-limiting example, the fastenermay include a bolt 406 having bolt head 508 positioned within chamber108, bolt head 508 being wider than passageway width 502. In anotherembodiment, bottom 500 may be configured to retain the liquid withinchamber 108.

Referring also to FIGS. 6-7, toilet flange 100 may also include channels630 fluidly connecting chamber 108 to drain opening 106. Moreparticularly, channels 630 may connect receiving end 112 of fastenerpassageway 110 with drain opening 106. That is, channels 530 provide afluid path from receiving end 112 to drain opening 106. Body 102 maydeteriorate over time, and it may become difficult to control the flowof fluid as the fluid floods body 102. As such, channels 630 provide afluid path such that the fluid that may flood body 102 and fastenerpassageway 110 can escape and exit through drain via drain opening 106.Channels 630 may extend from toilet-facing surface 104 only partiallywithin body 102. For example, channels 630 may extend from toilet facingsurface 104 within body 102 up to 50% of the depth of fastenerpassageway 110.

FIG. 8 shows an embodiment of toilet flange 100 alternative to thatwhich is shown in FIG. 7. In this embodiment, a conduit 730 is providedfor fluidly connecting chamber 108 (FIG. 5) and drain opening 106. Asillustrated, conduit 730 couples receiving end 112 and drain opening106. However, in other embodiments, conduit 730 may extend from anywherewithin chamber 108 (FIG. 5), e.g., at receiving end 112, at retainingend 114 (FIG. 5), or along fastener passageway 110. Instead of partiallyextending from toilet facing surface 104 within body 102 as channel 630(FIGS. 5-6), conduit 730 is covered or enclosed by toilet-facing surface104. That is, conduit 730 extends from chamber 108 to drain opening 106beneath toilet-facing surface 104. Accordingly, conduit 730 is lesslikely to be clogged by debris, as may occur with channel 630 (FIGS.5-6), thereby ensuring that fluid drains from chamber 108.

FIG. 9 shows an embodiment of toilet flange 100 where toilet flange 100does not include mounting apertures 118 (FIG. 1), 218 (FIG. 2). FIG. 10shows a drain-facing surface 804 of body 102, or a surface opposite oftoilet-facing surface 104 (FIG. 1), according to the embodiment shown inFIG. 9. Referring to FIGS. 9-10 together, in this embodiment, toiletflange 100 may be adhered to a fixed surface, e.g., a subfloor (notshown), and/or adhered to a drain or sewer pipe (not shown). In such anembodiment, fasteners for retaining toilet flange 100 to the fixedsurface may not be used. However, in other embodiments, it may bedesirable to use fasteners and mounting apertures 118, 218 in additionto the bonding of toilet flange 100 with the fixed surface and/or thedrain pipe. As used herein, “adhered to” may include attached to, bondedto, affixed to, and/or bound to.

Drain-facing surface 804 may be substantially flat or of planarorientation such that it can be evenly, directly adhered to the fixedsurface creating a mechanical bond therebetween. That is, drain-facingsurface 804 may not include any holes, apertures or openingstherethrough other than drain opening 106. However, in otherembodiments, drain-facing surface 804 can be adhered to the fixedsurface only at an outer periphery of drain-facing surface 804.Additionally, drain pipe-facing surface 806 of body 102 may be adhereddirectly to the drain pipe (drain-pipe facing surface 806 can also beseen in FIGS. 4-5). Drain-pipe facing surface 806 can include one of anexternal surface 806 a or an internal surface 806 b of toilet flange 100at opening 106. That is, toilet flange 100 may be adhered to the drainpipe such that at least a portion of toilet flange 100 at leastpartially surrounds the drain pipe or such that at least a portion ofthe drain pipe at least partially surrounds toilet flange 100.Drain-facing surface 804 and/or drain pipe-facing surface 806 may beadhered by adhesives, solvent welds, cement, acrylics, sealants, glue,and/or caulk, or any other means for maintaining a watertight sealbetween drain-facing surface 804, drain pipe-facing surface 806, thefixed surface, and the drain pipe, respectively. This embodiment furtherensures a watertight seal between toilet flange 100 with a toilet, adrain, and a fixed surface. For example, because the only hole throughtoilet flange 100, e.g., opening 106, included in this embodiment isfluidly connected with a drain pipe, leakage that may occur betweentoilet flange 100 and a toilet can be retained by dam features 116,retaining walls 118, chambers 108 and/or directed into drain.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure.As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify thepresence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements,and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of oneor more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements,components, and/or groups thereof. Furthermore, illustrations withrespect to one or more implementations, alterations and/or modificationscan be made to the illustrated examples without departing from thespirit and scope of the appended claims. In addition, while a particularfeature may have been disclosed with respect to only one of severalimplementations, such feature may be combined with one or more otherfeatures of the other implementations as may be desired and advantageousfor any given or particular function.

This written description uses examples to disclose the invention,including the best mode, and to enable any person skilled in the art topractice the invention, including making and using any devices orsystems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope ofthe invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examplesthat occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intendedto be within the scope of the claims if they have structural elementsthat do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if theyinclude equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differencesfrom the literal language of the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A toilet flange comprising: a body having atoilet-facing surface, a drain-facing surface, and a drain openingtherethrough; and at least two chambers extending from the toilet-facingsurface only partially into the body, each chamber having a fastenerpassageway for receiving a portion of a first fastener for coupling thebody to a toilet base, wherein the drain-facing surface is ofsubstantially planar orientation and configured to be adhered to a fixedsurface, and wherein the body further includes a drain pipe-facingsurface configured to be adhered to a drain pipe.
 2. The toilet flangeof claim 1, wherein the body has a poly-sided perimeter shape.
 3. Thetoilet flange of claim 1, wherein the toilet-facing surface of the bodyincludes a dam feature configured to prevent a fluid from escapingradially from a periphery of the toilet-facing surface.
 4. The toiletflange of claim 3, wherein the dam feature includes a raised edge. 5.The toilet flange of claim 1, wherein the toilet-facing surface includesat least a portion slanted toward the drain opening.
 6. The toiletflange of claim 5, wherein a highest point of the toilet-facing surfaceis substantially adjacent to a dam feature configured to prevent a fluidfrom escaping radially from a periphery of the toilet-facing surface. 7.The toilet flange of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of mountingapertures extending through the body and configured to receive a secondfastener for attaching the body to a fixed surface.
 8. The toilet flangeof claim 7, further comprising a retaining wall substantiallysurrounding a respective mounting aperture in the plurality of mountingapertures.
 9. The toilet flange of claim 1, further comprising a channelfluidly connecting a respective chamber in the at least two chambers tothe drain opening, the channel extending from the toilet-facing surfaceonly partially into the body.
 10. The toilet flange of claim 1, furthercomprising a conduit fluidly connecting a respective chamber in the atleast two chambers to the drain opening.
 11. The toilet flange of claim1, further comprising a plurality of sealed mounting apertures extendingthrough the body and configured to receive a fastener for attaching thebody to a fixed surface, the sealing mounting apertures being sealed atthe drain-facing surface via a polymer layer.
 12. A toilet flangecomprising: a body having a toilet-facing surface, a drain-facingsurface, and a drain opening therethrough; and a dam feature configuredto prevent a fluid from escaping radially from a periphery of thetoilet-facing surface, wherein the drain-facing surface is ofsubstantially planar orientation and configured to be adhered to a fixedsurface, and wherein the body further includes a drain pipe-facingsurface configured to be adhered to a drain pipe.
 13. The toilet flangeof claim 12, further comprising at least two chambers extending from thetoilet-facing surface only partially into the body, each chamber havinga fastener passageway for receiving a portion of a fastener for couplingthe body to the toilet base.
 14. The toilet flange of claim 12, whereinthe body has a poly-sided perimeter shape.
 15. The toilet flange ofclaim 12, further comprising a plurality of mounting apertures extendingthrough the body and configured to receive a fastener for attaching thebody to a fixed surface.
 16. The toilet flange of claim 15, furthercomprising a retaining wall substantially surrounding a respectivemounting aperture in the plurality of mounting apertures.
 17. The toiletflange of claim 12, wherein the toilet-facing surface includes at leasta portion slanted toward the drain opening.
 18. The toilet flange ofclaim 13, further comprising a channel fluidly connecting a respectivechamber in the at least two chambers to the drain opening, the channelextending from the toilet-facing surface only partially into the body.19. The toilet flange of claim 13, further comprising a conduit fluidlyconnecting a respective chamber in the at least two chambers to thedrain opening.
 20. The toilet flange of claim 12, further comprising aplurality of sealed mounting apertures extending through the body andconfigured to receive a fastener for attaching the body to a fixedsurface, the sealing mounting apertures being sealed at the drain-facingsurface via a polymer layer.